GLAS/ICESat Greenland Digital Elevation Model from Laser Altimetry

The GLAS/ICESat 1 km Laser Altimetry Digital Elevation Model of Greenland, Version 1 provides surface elevation grids derived from satellite laser altimetry. Produced by NSIDC, this dataset covers all of Greenland south of 83° N with measurements collected between February 2003 and June 2005. It offers elevation data relative to both the WGS 84 ellipsoid and EGM96 geoid, with fewer slope-related effects than radar altimetry.

Use Cases

• Modeling ice sheet mass balance and volume change over time using elevation grids.
• Analyzing coastal ice sheet and glacier elevation changes referenced to WGS 84 ellipsoid and EGM96 geoid datums.
• Assessing data quality and interpolation reliability using the provided interpolation distance map.
• Creating base terrain maps for Greenland south of 83° N for geophysical studies.

Strengths

• Derived from laser altimetry with greater latitudinal extent and fewer slope-related effects than radar data.
• Provides elevation data relative to two standard geodetic references (WGS 84 ellipsoid and EGM96 geoid).
• Includes a data quality map of interpolation distance to assess reliability.
• Based on data from seven operational periods over more than two years (Feb 2003 - Jun 2005).

Limitations

• Conflicting last updated dates exist between sources (2005-06-30 vs 2026-03-13), creating uncertainty about metadata freshness.
• Specific file size, row count, and detailed column information are not provided by any source.
• Data format is specialized (4-byte signed integer binary files) requiring specific software or libraries for use.

Provenance

Source

NSIDC

Collection Method

Derived from GLAS/ICESat laser altimetry profile data, interpolated onto a 1 km polar stereographic grid.

Time Range

February 2003 to June 2005

Freshness

2026-03-13 02:38:40.923847

Geography

Greenland, south of 83° N